Category Archives: Connecting4

Just the four kids.

Cake Challenge: June

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I’m still trying to catch up on all of these “terribly late” cake challenge posts. Today we’re revisiting the fresh start of summer, June. I made this cake at my grandparents house in South Dakota while enjoying cool whether and great company 🙂

You can find this cake recipe here!

If you recall, in my January edition I vented about some of the mistakes I made while baking my first 3-layer cake. Well, to tell you the truth the rest of this year hasn’t gone much better. Once I feel confident that I’ve mastered a certain skill, another mishap awaits me around the corner. I never expected baking to be quite so… difficult. For example…

If I heat egg whites and sugar together with no mistakes (for meringue per say), the butter I add to make a buttercream is mysteriously the wrong kind (salted instead of unsalted.) If I do a wonderful job of melting my dark chocolate (brought all the way from America)- making sure it doesn’t scorch- the Korean corn starch I add to the mixture causes the whole shebang to seize immediately.  Getting the picture?! If my skills are good, my ingredients don’t work; if my ingredients are perfect (-ly expensive!), my skills ruin them. Each new cake brings new frustrations, and sometimes disappointment. However, the more mistakes I make, the more knowledge I gain, I have to admit, its been a completely enlightening experience! And the more I learn, the more I crave to be in the kitchen watching mousses and meringues fluff up to form mountainous peaks in my little mixing bowls, smelling moistly baked cakes ready to be cooled, and arranging the end products for photographs! I am so blessed to have the time and resources to bake with, and more than that, to have such an incredible family who will graciously eat whatever I make (no matter how it tastes!).

<Cake Challenge Series: is a collection of posts which document the cakes I bake each month. More specifically, I have a goal this year to bake at least one (hopefully spectacular) layer cake each month, and photograph/post them here. I hope you enjoy this collection as much as I enjoy baking these delicious desserts!>

Other Cake Challenge Posts:
January 
February
March 
April
May

 

Tianjin Memories

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I’ve been back to Hong Kong for a week, and getting back into the swing of things has been difficult. Looking through my photos for this post made me miss Tianjin and remember the summer and all the adventures I had.

I remember the huge construction materials market-and dreaming about new projects.

I remember the hundred year old architecture in downtown Tianjin, where I spent times with my sisters, mom and friends.

I remember brainstorming with Jessie on her art portfolio and working in the blog office.

But I guess most of all, I remember the times I spent with my family. I miss you guys.

This post is part of my Memories Collection-revisiting places where Connecting Four really connected and explored the world together. See my Thailand Memories post here. See my Guilin Memories post here.

I’m Lovin’… Anything Vintage

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Today was the first day back to school after 5 weeks of break. And to be frank I hated it! It was so tiring and long…But I got through the day alright.

As of late I have been obsessing over anything vintage. All the blogs I visited that posted about something vintage inspired me more and more to make a post of my own that en captures the beauty of vintage style. So I did it! 1: Vintage clothing in my opinion is too adorable although I don’t have many vintage articles in my closet right now I’m planning to hunt for some this summer while in America. 2: Vintage Adds, it has taken me a while to find some good sites to find vintage adds but I did and I love them (Found in Mom’s Basement & Captain Geoffrey Spaulding’s Photostream on Flickr). 3: Vintage Electronics, when I think of vintage electronics 3 things pop into my mind are vintage cameras, vintage typewriters, and vintage telephones. 4: Vintage Luggage, I was browsing over pinterest for vintage pics and I noticed that there were many pictures of vintage suitcases and luggage so I decided to add a photo of some cute suitcases stacked on each other. Well that’s all for now folks!

Sources:{1: Vintage Swimsuit & Vintage Sasson 2: Found in Mom’s Basement 3: Vintage Phone 4: Vintage Suitcases}

Dreaming of HK.

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With Michael’s recent departure and the start of routine living again, I’m missing HongKong more than ever.

It was in this city where my life took a turn when I decided to take a step of faith and “not” jump right into college as previously expected. It was in this city that I re-united with my brother and old friends who encouraged me to open my mind to new ideas and to seek the Lord’s instruction. I will never forget the quiet, thoughtful days I spent in HongKong -although ironically it is known for its fast-paced society- in which my plans for the future were leveled and rebuilt. Furthermore, on top of all these things I have to mention my excitement over the new friends I was introduced to who made my time in HK so incredible! 

Here are some compiled images of photos that remind me of my recent visit to HK

-cannot wait to visit again!

As you can see, I played around with photoshop quite a bit while working on this post… the look is a bit “scattered” I think.

sticker pictures!

What cities are you day-dreaming about?

(seems like we’re dreaming A LOT over here at connecting4 🙂 –check out Maddie’s most recent dream house post.)

Dream House #2

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I was browsing over the blog this week and came across my previous Dream House post and decided to create another…

My family moved earlier this year during spring break and although moving over a vacation is never appealing, at least it inspired me to write this post! I found it very difficult to have a relaxing break when boxes lay strewn across the ground, cleaning had to be done, and tasks of organization awaited us around every corner. However the memories Jessie and I made during this time are priceless. Although even now 5 months later we are still hanging pictures and finding places for “stuff” to go, I believe we had a successful move this year and I am quite proud of our efforts. I used the same resources as last time (fresh home) but this time I decided to pick a theme for the “dream house”. Doesn’t “scenic rural dream” sound enticing?! Check out these two houses that I combined keeping this theme in mind.

I love how the floors of both houses are so gorgeous, they match the rural theme so well.

look at those gorgeous windows!

The furniture in the picture above really pulls together the thought of a countryside house.

 

Guilin Memories

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I am continuing my Memories Collection with one of my favorite places in China, Guilin. We went on a vacation to this scenic area in the South of China the first year our family lived in in the Middle Kingdom.

During our travels down the Li River, we stopped at small villages along the way. The locals in this semi-tropical area still lived in structures; some of which were hundreds of years old.

China’s token color is red, which we got a lot of throughout our trip to Guilin.

Another great part of the trip was the produce and food. Fresh berries and other fruit are produced in the area.

The historic legacy stretches into both culture and arts… below is a Chinese opera costume.

Lastly, known throughout China, the scenery in Guilin is, in itself, a compelling reason to visit this place. The sights are breathtaking and being able to traverse these karst mountains was a blast!

This post is part of my Memories Collection-revisiting places where Connecting Four really connected and explored the world together. See my Thailand Memories post here. See my Tianjin Memories here.

Ukuleles and Gell Pens

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Now that I am an upperclassman I have been giving more thought to what I really love to do. Last year, when Michael began Architecture at HongKong University, he often reminded me that I should choose a career/school that I will love and be passionate about. So I began to explore new hobbies.

One hobby I picked up about a year ago was sketching in a little brown-paper pocketbook. By practicing, I not only realized how much I love putting pen to paper, but how much I enjoy the thought process behind creating different types of art!

I have always loved music, both singing and playing. Before last Christmas, the only instrument I had ever played was the Clarinet. However, when a friend came to China for a visit, I was inspired by her (who was an amazing Ukelele player), to get one of my own! It is the most challenging yet rewarding hobby for me.

My beloved Ukulele ~ I love you!

A sample of my most recent art endeavor. Michael had an idea of a “star ship” while we were listening to – you guessed it – “Star Ships” by Niki Minaj. This is actually a X-Wing Fighter from Star Wars bejeweled in gel pens! Stay tuned for the finished product ~

Since Michael spoke to me last year I have realized so much truth in his words! Do what you are passionate about – this will bring you joy. Some days when I feel really uninspired I just play a few songs on my ukelele and it really brightens my mood! Don’t brush off the things you are interested in as unimportant – dig deeper into those passions and develop them.

India is Served

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This break has given me the chance to cook in our new house’s kitchen (at University I don’t really have a great space to work), and I’ve been exploring a bit in terms of drinks and food (Lemonade & Dumplings).

I decided to try out something I first tried four years ago (and have LOVED ever since!): Masala Chai Tea-thank you Ruth Bevis for introducing me to this incredible drink.

For a great recipe, you can reference Simply Recipes for their amazing Chai Tea– I make a few variations as compared to theirs.

I add chilli powder to my chai tea, it gives it a great spicy kick!

First: gather your ingredients, mix the dry ingredients well in a large saucepan and add water. You are going to want to bring the water and spices to a rolling boil for about 10 minutes before moving on to the tea.

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Cover the saucepan to bring it to a boil quickly.

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Secondly, remove from the heat and let the tea steep for around 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags.

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Then, add the milk and brown sugar (or your preferred sweetener). Bring back to a simmer and keep warm til you serve.

Another great tip: Chill the tea after you are done, and serve over ice. It tastes just as good cold!

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Serve with baked goods, cake, bars or even savoury food (curry or tandoori chicken?). Rachel made a special treat for us the other day and it was GREAT with the Chai!
(Here’s a preview of it):

Office Project 03

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The office is on its way to completion. Since our last update, we’ve finished:

1.) painting the chevron wall design
2.) cleaning and organizing the cube shelves (which we will hang like the ones sketched in this blog post)
3.) spray painting the bottom of the shelves (GOLD!)
4.) buying a gorgeous nickel-plated lamp from IKEA
5.) organizing the decoration pieces we will be placing/hanging around the room.

  • getting “stuff” done: inspiration from mimi&meg!

Check out all the planning and work we’ve put into it at Office Project 01 and Office Project 02!